Research Log 2: Professional Associations, Advocacy Groups, and Government Agencies
Goal: You will collect sources about your topic of interest, focusing on professional
organizations, advocacy groups, and government agencies that act on the topic. You will be
studying how these groups actively try to solve problems related to the issue you chose, and
how they view, understand, and engage with the topic.
Instructions:
1. In one or two sentences, describe the issue you are exploring at the top of the research log.
The issue must have arisen within the last three years, be unresolved, and be related to your
field of study and/or your future profession.
2. Enter your current research question.
3. Compile 4 credible sources by searching the professional associations, advocacy groups,
and government resources included in your library subject guide. If you do not have such
listings, search Google for non-academic sources that address the issue.
4. Use the key terms you found looking at the subject guides from the library. Remember to use
related terms. Be willing to create other search terms beyond what you find in your subject
guide.
Enter the following information about your sources on the table in the worksheet:
a) Author name, date of publication, article name, publication name
b) Where you found the article (via Google search, linked to Twitter, FB, other)
c) Key terms you used to search for sources.
d) 1-2 sentences about the exigence the article seeks to address.
e) New key terms: Words and terminology the article uses to describe the topic (especially if
they are different from your search terms).
f) Quotes that you want to keep from the article because you think they are useful.
g) Make a connection: How does this source engage with other sources you found? Does it
agree, partially agree, partially disagree, or disagree, with other sources? Does it expand on
an idea? Does it introduce another perspective?
Answer each question in the Reflection section of the worksheet
Recommendations: As you collect sources, remember that you will use the research log for the
rest of the semester. Collect information so that it is useful to you, as we move closer to the
Literature Review Assignment. Make sure you look for sources that convey multiple
perspectives on the issue. Look for clues that identify a possible stakeholder, or someone with
decision-making authority over the issue.
As a genre, research logs are internal documents. The audience for a research log is generally
the researcher and no one else. The research log is a tool to help you keep a lot of information
organized in a way that is usable later on.
Professional organizations, Advocacy Groups, and Government Sources
In one or two sentences, describe the issue in the field that you are researching. The issue must have arisen within the last
three years unless otherwise discussed with me.
FIELD OF STUDY: Business Administration/
ISSUE: Leadership and Management Skills
Enter the current version of your research question. Make sure it asks a “how” or “why” question.
RESEARCH QUESTION: